traumatic brain injury

noun

: an acquired brain injury caused by external force (such as a blow to the head sustained in a motor vehicle accident or fall or shrapnel or a bullet entering through the skull)

Traumatic brain injury occurs when the shock from an explosion damages neurological fibers. Soldiers may survive a blast with scarcely a cut, only to find over time that they suffer coordination and memory loss, dizziness, insomnia.

—Nancy Gibbs

An unprotected fall, especially if the player is unconscious or his opponent lands on top of him, can result in severe traumatic brain injury.

—Michael J. Stuart et al.

broadly : acquired brain injury

—abbreviation TBI

Examples of traumatic brain injury in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Months of therapy and ongoing medical monitoring Because traumatic brain injuries can affect the entire body, Aaron had to re-train many muscle groups, according to Whitney Walker, the physical therapy assistant. —Stephanie Colombini, NPR, 18 Apr. 2024

While there were no fatalities, dozens of U.S. service members suffered traumatic brain injuries. —Nilo Tabrizy, Washington Post, 17 Apr. 2024

Kaylee Gain, a Missouri teen who was severely injured in a fight outside her school, is continuing to make progress after suffering traumatic brain injuries. —Liam Quinn, Peoplemag, 17 Apr. 2024

The impact fractured his skull, and three months later he was diagnosed with a mild traumatic brain injury, the lawsuit said. —Jenna Peterson, Los Angeles Times, 12 Apr. 2024

But after sustaining five traumatic brain injuries, Dukes had to re-learn how to walk and talk, the art league stated. —Gavin Off, Charlotte Observer, 30 Mar. 2024

An Army reservist who carried out a high-profile mass shooting in Lewiston, Maine, last year was also found to have brain damage, underscoring how much the research and technology needed to fully understand and treat traumatic brain injury is still lagging. —Josh Feldman, NBC News, 18 Mar. 2024

The survivor of the deadly crash, 23-year-old Scottsdale resident Valerie Stutterheim, suffered a traumatic brain injury as a result of the incident. —Coleby Phillips, The Arizona Republic, 4 Apr. 2024

Ryan Corbin, Boone's charismatic son and the grandson of the legendary Pat Boone, suffered a traumatic brain injury in 2001 after falling three stories through a skylight onto a cement floor. —Tricia Despres, Peoplemag, 1 Apr. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1931, in the meaning defined above

Medical Definition

traumatic brain injury

noun

: an acquired brain injury caused by external force (as a blow to the head sustained in a motor vehicle accident or fall or shrapnel or a bullet entering through the skull)

A soldier—or a civilian—can survive the blast without a single penetrating wound and still receive the worst diagnosis: traumatic brain injury, or TBI, the signature injury of the Iraq War.

—Michael Mason, Discover

An unprotected fall, especially if the player is unconscious or his opponent lands on top of him, can result in severe traumatic brain injury.

—Michael J. Stuart et al., USA Today

broadly : acquired brain injury

—abbreviation TBI